Coca of Sant Joan
The Coca of Sant Joan
For those who don’t know, Coca is the best known Catalan sweet in the world and one of the most traditional Mediterranean desserts.
We could say that it is a first cousin of pizza if we make it in its salty version.
On the evening of the 23rd of June, Catalans celebrate the ´Revetlla´, the verbena of Sant Joan, where gastronomy meets fireworks!
Sant Joan being the the Patron Saint of Catalonia, it is undoubtedly the festival that most identifies Catalonia, where you can´t miss a good dinner enlivened with a delicious coca for dessert and a glass of cava to accompany it.
This festival is also known as Night of the Fire or Night of the Witches, and is celebrated the night before Sant Joan which is celebrated on June 24.
It is a magical night and originally it´s a party to celebrate the lengthening of the day, “the summer solstice”.
Gastronomy has a very important role; everyone prepares a good dinner to celebrate this day.
The cocas indicate the end of dinner and the beginning of a long after-dinner.
Coca de Sant Joan is very popular in Catalonia and can be of various kinds: candied with marzipan, filled with cream and decorated with pine nuts, chicharrones or candied fruit.
Like other typical dishes of Catalonia, the invention of 'coca' was born from the need to take advantage of the remaining dough of the bread. Housewives, or at least those who had the imagination to invent a dessert with dough, cooked and sweetened them, giving rise to a new dessert.
So if you are in Catalonia on the 23rd, make sure to have a great dinner with fireworks and top it off with a coca de Sant Joan and cava.
Bona Revetlla!
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